1. No category

What to do if you’re worried
a child is being abused –
Summary
Contents
Introduction – Safeguarding children
3
Everyone working with children and families should…
4
If you have concerns about a child’s welfare…
6
Everyone should…
6
Social workers and their managers, in responding to a referral, should…
8
Police officers should…
9
What should happen later in the child protection process
10
Social workers and their managers should…
10
Police officers should…
10
Everyone else should…
10
If you need further information
11
Flow chart 1 – Referral
12
Flow chart 2 – What happens following initial assessment? 13
Flow chart 3 – Urgent action to safeguard children
14
Flow chart 4 – What happens after the strategy discussion? 15
Flow chart 5 – What happens after the child protection conference, including the review process?
Appendix 1 – Information sharing
Flowchart of key principles for information sharing
16
17
19
Introduction –
Safeguarding
children
All those who come into contact with children and families in their
everyday work, including practitioners who do not have a specific
role in relation to safeguarding children, have a duty to safeguard
and promote the welfare of children. You are likely to be involved
in three main ways:
•
you may have concerns about a child, and refer those concerns
to children’s social care or the police. School staff (both
teaching and non-teaching) should be aware of the local
procedures to be followed for reporting concerns about a
particular child. This will normally be via the school’s designated
senior member of staff or their nominated deputy or if neither
are available, another senior member of the school’s staff.
In emergencies however, contact the police direct;
•
you may be approached by children’s social care and asked to
provide information about a child or family or to be involved in
an assessment. This may happen regardless of who made the
referral to children’s social care;
•
you may be asked to provide help or a specific service to the
child or a member of their family as part of an agreed plan and
contribute to the reviewing of the child’s progress.
The flow charts starting on page 12 illustrate the processes for
safeguarding children:
3
•
from the point that concerns are raised about a child and are
referred to a statutory agency that can take action to safeguard
and promote the welfare of the child (flow chart 1);
•
through an initial assessment of the child’s situation and what
happens after that (flow chart 2);
•
taking urgent action, if necessary (flow chart 3);
•
to the strategy discussion, where there are concerns about the
child’s safety, and beyond that to the child protection
conference (flow chart 4); and
•
what happens after the child protection conference, and the
review process (flow chart 5).
Everyone working with children
and families should…
4
•
Be familiar with and follow your organisation’s procedures and
protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of
children in your area, and know who to contact in your
organisation to express concerns about a child’s welfare.
•
Remember that an allegation of child abuse or neglect may lead
to a criminal investigation, so don’t do anything that may
jeopardise a police investigation, such as asking a child leading
questions or attempting to investigate the allegations of abuse.
•
If you are responsible for making referrals, know who to contact
in police, health, education, school and children’s social care to
express concerns about a child’s welfare.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
•
When referring a child to children’s social care you should
consider and include any information you have on the child’s
developmental needs and their parents’/carers’ capacity to
respond to these needs within the context of their wider family
and environment. This information may have been obtained
during the completion of a Common Assessment (2006).
Similarly, when contributing to an assessment or providing
services you should consider what contribution you are able to
make in respect of each of these three domains. Specialist
assessments, in particular, are likely to provide information
relevant to a specific dimension, such as health, education or
family functioning.
•
See the child and ascertain his or her wishes and feelings as part
of considering what action to take in relation to concerns about
the child’s welfare.
•
Communicate with the child in a way that is appropriate to their
age, understanding and preference. This is especially important
for disabled children and for children whose preferred language
is not English. The nature of this communication will also
depend on the substance and seriousness of the concerns and
you may require advice from children’s social care or the police
to ensure that neither the safety of the child nor any
subsequent investigation is jeopardised. Where concerns arise
as a result of information given by a child it is important to
reassure the child but not to promise confidentiality.
5
•
Record full information about the child at first point of contact,
including name(s), address(es), gender, date of birth, name(s) of
person(s) with parental responsibility (for consent purposes)
and primary carer(s), if different, and keep this information up
to date. In schools, this information will be part of the pupil’s
record.
•
Record in writing all concerns, discussions about the child,
decisions made, and the reasons for those decisions. The child’s
records should include an up-to-date chronology, and details of
the lead worker in the relevant agency – for example, a social
worker, GP, health visitor or teacher.
If you have concerns about
a child’s welfare…
Everyone should…
6
•
Discuss your concerns with your manager, named or
designated health professional or designated member of staff,
depending on your organisational setting. If you still have
concerns, you or your manager could also, without necessarily
identifying the child in question, discuss your concerns with
senior colleagues in another agency in order to develop an
understanding of the child’s needs and circumstances.
•
If, after this discussion, you still have concerns, and consider the
child and their parents would benefit from further services,
consider which agency, including another part of your own, you
should make a referral to. If you consider the child is or may be
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
a child in need, you should refer the child and family to
children’s social care. This may include a child whom you
believe is, or may be at risk of, suffering significant harm. If your
concerns are about a child who is already known to children’s
social care, the allocated social worker should be informed of
your concerns. In addition to children’s social care, the police
and the NSPCC have powers to intervene in these
circumstances.
•
In general, seek to discuss your concerns with the child, as
appropriate to their age and understanding, and with their
parents and seek their agreement to making a referral to
children’s social care unless you consider such a discussion
would place the child at an increased risk of significant harm.
(Appendix 1 sets out six key points on information sharing
reproduced from Information sharing: Practitioners’ guide
(HM Government 2006) – Section 4 of this information sharing
guidance provides more in-depth guidance on consent,
confidentiality and information sharing.
See www.ecm.gov.uk/deliveringservices/informationsharing)
•
When you make your referral, agree with the recipient of the
referral what the child and parents will be told, by whom and
when.
•
If you make your referral by telephone, confirm it in writing
within 48 hours. Children’s social care should acknowledge your
written referral within one working day of receiving it, so if you
have not heard back within 3 working days, contact children’s
social care again.
7
Social workers and their managers, in responding to a referral,
should…
8
•
Following a referral, you and your manager should decide on
the next course of action within one working day and record
this decision on the Referral and Information Record
(Department of Health, 2002). Further action may include
undertaking an initial assessment, referral to other agencies,
provision of advice or information, or no further action.
•
If you and your manager decide that you should take no further
action at this stage, tell the referrer of this decision and the
reasons for making it. Where a referral has been received from
a member of the public, do this in a way that is consistent with
respecting the confidentiality of each party.
•
New information may be received about a child or family where
the child or family member is already known to children’s social
care. If the child’s case is open, and there are concerns that the
child is or may be suffering harm, then a decision should be
made about whether a strategy discussion should be initiated. It
may not be necessary to undertake an initial assessment before
deciding what to do next. It may, however, be appropriate to
undertake a core assessment or to update a previous one, in
order to understand the child’s current needs and circumstances
and inform future decision-making. If this information causes
you to be concerned about a child’s safety then discuss it with
your manager. If you consider the child is or may be suffering
harm, decide whether, as the child and family will be well known
to children’s social care it is appropriate to hold a strategy
discussion without undertaking an initial assessment.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
•
You and your manager should consider whether a crime may
have been committed. If so, discuss the child with the police at
the earliest opportunity, as it is their responsibility to carry out
any criminal investigation in accordance with the agreed plan
for the child.
•
When you have received a referral from a member of the public,
rather than another professional, remember that personal
information about referrers, including anything that could identify
them, should only be disclosed to third parties (including subject
families and other agencies) with the consent of the referrer. If the
police are involved, you will need to discuss with them when to
inform the parents about referrals from third parties, as this will
have a bearing on the conduct of police investigations.
Police officers should…
•
Where you become involved with a child about whom you have
child welfare concerns, refer to children’s social care and agree
a plan of action.
•
Where you are contacted by children’s social care about a child,
consider whether to begin a criminal investigation and lead on
any investigation.
•
Undertake the evidence gathering process whilst working in
partnership and sharing relevant information with children’s
social care and other agencies.
•
Take immediate action where necessary to safeguard a child,
consulting with children’s social care and agreeing a plan of
action as soon as practicable.
9
What should happen later in
the child protection process
Social workers and their managers should…
•
Lead on the assessment and planning processes, ensuring
planned interventions are carried out and the child’s
developmental progress reviewed, and provide support or
specific services to the child or member of the family as part
of an agreed plan.
Police officers should…
•
Investigate any allegations of crime or suspected crime and
use the information gained to assist other agencies in
understanding the child’s circumstances, in the interests
of the child’s welfare.
•
Investigate the criminal history of any known or suspected
offender and where appropriate refer to the multi-agency
public protection arrangements (MAPPA) so that any future risk
of serious harm can be properly assessed and managed.
Everyone else should…
10
•
provide relevant information to children’s social care or the
police about the child or family members;
•
contribute to initial or core assessments and undertake specialist
assessments, if requested, of the child or family members;
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
•
provide support or specific services to the child or member of
the family as part of an agreed plan, and contribute to the
reviewing of the child’s developmental progress.
If you need further
information
Framework for the Assessment of Children
in Need and their Families. Website:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/
PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=
4003256&chlc=fss1lca
Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency
working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Website:
http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice/
IG00060/
What To Do If You’re Worried A Child Is Being Abused. Website:
http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/search/?asset=dowmeat&id
=17378
Information sharing: Practitioners’ guide. Website:
http://www.ecm.gov.uk/deliveringservices/informationsharing
The Common Assessment Framework for Children and Young People:
practitioners guide. Website: http://www.ecm.gov.uk/caf
The Exemplar Records for the Integrated Childrens’ System
Website: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/ics
11
Flow chart 1 – Referral
PRACTITIONER HAS CONCERNS ABOUT
CHILD’S WELFARE
Practitioner discusses with manager and/or other senior
colleagues as they think appropriate
Still has concerns
No longer has concerns
Practitioner refers to LA children’s
social care, following up in writing
within 48 hours
No further child protection action,
although may need to act to ensure
services provided
Social worker and manager
acknowledge receipt of referral
and decide on next course of
action within one working day
Feedback to referrer on next
course of action
No further LA children’s social care
involvement at this stage, although
other action may be necessary,
e.g. onward referral
Initial assessment required
See flow chart 2 on
initial assessment
Concerns about child’s
immediate safety
See flow chart 3 on
emergency action
12
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
Flow chart 2 – What happens following initial assessment?
INITIAL ASSESSMENT COMPLETED WITHIN
7 WORKING DAYS FROM REFERRAL TO
LA CHILDREN’S SOCIAL CARE
No LA children’s social care
support required, but other
action may be necessary,
e.g. onward referral
No actual or likely
significant harm
Social worker discusses with child,
family and colleagues to decide
on next steps
Decide what services are required
In-depth assessment required
Feedback to
referrer
Child in need
Actual or likely
significant harm
Strategy discussion, involving LA
children’s social care, police and
relevant agencies, to decide
whether to initiate a s47 enquiry
Concerns arise about the
child’s safety
Social worker leads core
assessment; other professionals
contribute
Further decisions made about
service provision
Social worker co-ordinates provision
of appropriate services, and
records decisions
See flow chart 4
Review outcomes for child and
when appropriate close the case
13
Flow chart 3 – Urgent action to safeguard children
DECISION MADE THAT EMERGENCY ACTION MAY BE NECESSARY TO SAFEGUARD A CHILD Immediate strategy discussion between LA children’s
social care, police and other agencies as appropriate
Relevant agency seeks legal advice and outcome recorded
Immediate strategy discussion makes decisions about:
• immediate safeguarding action
• information giving, especially to parents
Relevant agency sees child and records outcome
No emergency action taken
Child in need
See flow chart 2
Appropriate emergency
action taken
Strategy discussion and s47
enquiries initiated
See flow chart 4
With family and other
professionals, agree plan for
ensuring child’s future safety
and welfare and record decisions
14
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
Flow chart 4 – What happens after the strategy discussion?
STRATEGY DISCUSSION MAKES DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER TO INITIATE S47 ENQUIRIES AND DECISIONS ARE RECORDED No further LA children’s social
care involvement at this stage,
but other services may
be required
Decision to initiate
s47 enquiries
Decision to commence
core assessment under
s17 of Children Act 1989
Police investigate possible crime
Social worker leads core assessment under s47 of Children Act 1989
and other professionals contribute
Concerns about harm not
substantiated but child is a
child in need
With family and other
professionals, agree plan for
ensuring child’s future safety
and welfare and record
decisions
Concerns substantiated
but child not at continuing
risk of harm
Agree whether child protection
conference necessary and
record decision
YES
NO
Concerns substantiated, child
at continuing risk of harm
Social worker leads completion
of core assessment
Social work manager convenes child
protection conference within 15 working
days of last strategy discussion
With family and other
professionals, agree plan for
ensuring child’s future safety
and welfare and record
decisions
Decisions made and recorded at child protection conference
Child at continuing risk of
significant harm
Child is subject of child
protection plan; outline child
protection plan prepared; core group established – see flowchart 5
Child not at continuing
risk of significant harm
Further decisions made about completion of core assessment and service provision according to agreed plan 15
Flow chart 5 – What happens after the child protection
conference, including the review process?
CHILD IS THE SUBJECT OF A
CHILD PROTECTION PLAN
Core group meets within 10
working days of child protection
conference
Keyworker leads on core assessment
to be completed within 35 working
days of commencement
Core group members commission further specialist assessments as necessary Child protection plan developed by key worker,
together with core group members, and implemented
Core group members provide/commission the necessary
interventions for child and/or family members
First child protection review conference is held within
3 months of initial conference
Review conference held
No further concerns about harm
16
Some remaining concerns
about harm
Child no longer the subject of child
protection plan and reasons recorded
Child remains subject of a child
protection plan which is revised
and implemented
Further decisions made about
continued service provision
Review conference held within
6 months of initial child
protection review conference
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
Appendix 1 – Information
sharing: Practitioners guide
(Reproduced from Information sharing:
Practitioners’ guide (HM Government,
2006, Page 5)
Six key points on information sharing
•
You should explain to children, young people and families
at the outset, openly and honestly, what and how information
will, or could be shared and why, and seek their agreement.
The exception to this is where to do so would put that child,
young person or others at increased risk of significant harm
or an adult at risk of serious harm, or if it would undermine
the prevention, detection or prosecution of a serious crime
including where seeking consent might lead to interference
with any potential investigation.
•
You must always consider the safety and welfare of a child or
young person when making decisions on whether to share
information about them. Where there is concern that the child
may be suffering or is at risk of suffering significant harm, the
child’s safety and welfare must be the overriding consideration.
•
You should, where possible, respect the wishes of children,
young people or families who do not consent to share
confidential information. You may still share information, if in
your judgment on the facts of the case, there is sufficient need
in the public interest to override that lack of consent.
17
18
•
You should seek advice where you are in doubt, especially
where your doubt relates to a concern about possible
significant harm to a child or serious harm to others.
•
You should ensure that the information you share is accurate
and up-to-date, necessary for the purpose for which you are
sharing it, shared only with those people who need to see it,
and shared securely.
•
You should always record the reasons for your decision –
whether it is to share information or not.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE WORRIED A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED
Flowchart of key principles for information sharing
(Reproduced from Information sharing: Practitioners’ guide
(HM Government, 2006, Page 19). The paragraph numbers refer
to those in the Information Sharing guidance.)
You are asked to or wish to share information
Is there a legitimate purpose for sharing information?
(para 4.2–4.5)
Yes
Does the information enable a person to be identified?
(para 4.6)
No
You can share
No
Yes
No
Is the information confidential?
(para 4.7–4.11)
Yes
Yes
Do you have consent?
(para 4.12–4.22)
No
Yes
Do you have a statutory obligation
or court order to share information?
(para 4.23–4.24)
No
Yes
Is there sufficient public
interest to share?
(para 4.25–4.28)
No
Do not share
Share information:
• Identify how much information to share.
• Distinguish fact from opinion.
• Ensure that you are giving the information to the right person.
• Inform the person that the information has been shared if they were not
aware of this and if it would not create or increase risk of harm.
(para 4.29)
Record the information sharing decision and your reasons, in line with your
agency’s procedures or local protocols
(para 4.30–4.31)
Seek advice from your manager, supervisor, child protection advisor or Caldicott Guardian if you
are not sure what to do at any stage and ensure that the outcome of the discussion is recorded
19
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